Tree Soldier: A Novel of Love, Forgiveness and the Great Depression

by J.L. Oakley

One mistake can ruin a life. One mistake can transform it.

A government forestry camp set deep in the mountainous forests of the Pacific Northwest might not seem the likely place to find redemption, but in 1935, Park Hardesty hopes for just that.

Blaming himself for the fiery accident that caused his brother’s disfigurement and the death of the bootlegging woman he loved, planting trees, building bridges and mentoring tough, homesick New Jersey boys brings him both penitence and the renewal of his own self-worth. When he wins the love of Kate Alford, a local naturalist who envisions joining the Forest Service, which allows only men, he also captures the ire of a camp officer who refuses to let her go. Just when he is ready to seek his brother’s forgiveness, he is falsely accused of rape. Every aspect of his life he has tried to rebuild is put in jeopardy. In the end, the only way he can defend himself is to tell the truth about his brother, but he risks being kicked out of the camp. Worse, he could lose Kate’s love forever.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

370 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 13, 2010

About the author

BIOGRAPHY

Award-winning author J.L. Oakley writes historical fiction that spans the mid-19th century to WW II with characters standing up for something in their own time and place. Her writing has been recognized with a 2006 Surrey International Writer's Non-fiction award. 2013 Bellingham Mayor’s Arts Award, the 2013 Chanticleer Grand Prize, the 2014 First Place Chaucer Award, the 2015 WILLA Silver Award for Timber Rose and the 2016 Goethe Grand Prize for The Jøssing Affair. When not writing, she demonstrates 19th century folkways.

Her other writings appear in various magazines, anthologies, and other media including the Cup of Comfort series and Historylink.org, a “cyperpedia of Washington State history.”

Reviews

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this story! Having lived in the Pacific Northwest most of my life, it was interesting reading about the Mt. Baker area and the lives of the CCC Boys during the 1940's. I read an early version of this self-published book. This earliest publication needed professional editing, but I was able to overlook the typos because the story was so entertaining and informative. I highly recommend this book to my friends from Washington state, Oregon and Idaho! Great story written by a gifted author of historical fiction.

[Selah Tay-Song · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful story! I read this while camping near Darrington this summer, and it starts off right away with an encounter of a bear that raised the hair on my neck . . . the author did a great job of making the time period come alive on the page without drowning the reader in facts, something that could be a challenge for a historian passionate about an era. The story is powerful and emotional, the main character authentically drawn. I could not put this book down! I look forward to reading more from Oakley!

[Toby Neal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This well researched novel on the "Tree Soldiers" was brought to life by it's hero and the tender and difficult story of his life and love. I was unaware of these programs and what they did for the young men coming out of the Depression and for our nation as a whole. While a bit slow paced, Tree Soldier is richly textured and informative without being preachy. Oakley deserves kudos for shining a light on this too-often overlooked period of American history.

[Patricia O'Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an interesting story about a depression-era program I'd never heard of, the Civilian Conservation Corps. Park Hardesty drives himself hard in a forestry camp trying to forget a bitter past. But when he meets a local girl, Kate Alford, Park's past catches up with him. The love story is very sweet though not without its challenges. Some of my favorite characters were the smart-mouthed Jersey boys Park supervises in the CCC program.

[Heidi Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

An entertaining historical novel based on members of the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression. I was caught up in the story, which has it all--romance, rivalry, revenge and redemption. Tree Soldier gives an exciting opening, good conflicts and tension and the story moves along at a good pace. I recommend it.

[Janice · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this book had a pretty good story line and the author gave us some much needed information about the CCC and its contribution to the Pacific Northwest I can't give it a high rating. I wish the author had chosen to use a format other than romance fiction to such an important history and it makes me sad that any author could publish a book with so many glaring mistakes of grammar and spelling. It seriously took away from the content for me. This book has been given many praises from other reviewers and was chosen for the Everybody Reads program in my community. Sorry to be such a grammar hawk. It's just the way I am.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of historical fiction and loved this book.

I received a copy of this book from a Goodread giveaway!

[Andrew]

Excellent book.

Full disclosure: I assisted J.L. Oakley with editing.

ASM

[Hart Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This historical fiction follows Park Hardesty and his life as part of the Civilian Conservation Core in the Pacific Northwest during the great depression. It was engaging to see all the details in the life of the camps and the work the men did making roads, bridges, forestry buildings, fighting fire, etc. It is a part of the New Deal where the government got people working to resolve the incredible poverty caused by the 1929 crash.

At its core, this story is a love story, but it is also a story of character and redemption. I really enjoyed the story and characters, and the detail about prejudices and human interaction. I will note, just for full disclosure, there are some typos. I know it is a self-published work and I believe was the author's first, so understand the difficulty hiring an external editor. They are not large, but they are present if you are stickler about such things.

[BJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

CCC in the northwest territory

I love Janet Oakley's historical novels! I know she does a lot of research and carefully constructs her fictional stories around historical facts. I'm always delighted to learn new things (and isn't that the reason we read?). This book is steeped in the history of that time in the 30's when the whole country/world was struggling. Because of the CCC and other programs developed during this tough time in history, our nation emerged stronger. Oh, and the love story between Park and Kate was delightful!

[Daphne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do not write reviews but I do believe I will leave a few sentences.

I find J.L. Oakley's books to not only be enjoyable reads with friendships, independent, strong women and romance but also educational.

I love historical fiction for that reason. I learn something. I love reading more about the CCC and the Northwest. I am not overly familiar with that area of the country. So that is interesting.

They are just refreshing stories.

[Rachelfm · Rating 3 out of 5]

A serendipitous find at a Little Free Library and a pleasurable way to spend a rainy Saturday.

I found the history behind the Tree Soldiers to be absolutely fascinating, but the dialogue was rather stilted and the characters a little too neat (even with their backstories.)

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

An easy to read old-fashioned romance. So much was left out about the Pacific Northwest, though. For instance, the one Native American character was from the East coast and was based on the worst of stereotypes.

[gj indieBRAG · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are proud to announce that TREE SOLDIER: A Novel of Love by J.L. Oakley is a B.R.A.G.Medallion Honoree. This tells readers that this book is well worth their time and money!

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I opened this page, Amazon popped up that I bought this book in April of 2012! Good lord, I waited nearly five years too long to read it! Bravo, J.L. Oakley! One of the best books I've read in quite a while. I wasn't sure when I started reading it if the story would engage me. That question was answered within the first pages. The incredible character development, the amazing descriptive writing, and the tension that started early in the plot swept me into this beautiful tale of love, jealousy, forgiveness, and redemption. All of that was rolled into a fascinating historical setting.

I won't delve into the plot--it's been done here on reviews already.

Everything about this story worked. Everything! The hard life of the CCC members was well-written. I had no idea. My husband, children and I have stayed in rustic CCC-built cabins at a state park nearby. I will never look at them the same.

This is one of those books that leaves you feeling a let down when it's over, and a little lost that you have to join the real world again.

Small spoiler alert; The ending is so incredibly good, though quite bittersweet. I did shed a few tears.

[Kenneth Meyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I know this local author. Good work J.L. When I say I was pleasantly surprised reading this, I don't mean I had low expectations picking up this story of love and obsession in the Pacific Northwest during the depression; more like I had no idea what to expect. This story of Park, a young man with a turbulent past, Kate, a store-owner's daughter, and Callister, a spurned suitor, could have been set in any location, and could have been set in any era, but the story--entertaining in and of itself--is given a boost by a its unusual setting: the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps during the depression. The CCC was a kind of "make work" organization sweeping up young men in the 1930s doing jobs that needed doing and paying the young men a wage, when few jobs were to be had. Most of us don't know how it operated--it seems, along something like military lines, but at that time, no one was complaining.
We don't see too much fiction set in the Pacific Northwest, either on the U.S. or Canadian side, so this also adds to the tale. For those of us who live in this area, many landmarks will be recognizable (but given different names). The climax, for example (and I won't say what happens), sounds like Nooksack Falls, just east of Bellingham WA. Anyone who has been there has no difficulty imagining bad things happening there--it's easy to go tottering over the cliff into the water, and the area adjacent to the cliff is steep.
The only character I find not very convincing in this story is Marie, who was an earlier lover of Park, but she is so far back in the tale time-wise, she doesn't need much development. The main characters are all believable and interesting. Park doesn't particularly want to be the "straw boss" of his team of workers, but hey, somebody has to do it. If he gets into a fight here or there, none of them are what he wants.
I appreciate the unusual setting, and this is a rewarding story. Enjoy!

[Rrshively · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book does have an active story line and gives us interesting information about the CCC camps. However, I felt it was in need of a good editor. Although one would expect the Joisy boys to have bad grammar and spelling, there were also errors in the rest of the book. My friends found even more than I did. A good editor also looks over the story material and asks questions. Instead of saying the forest was beautiful or the stream pretty, an editor might have asked the author, "How was it beautiful?", "How was it pretty?" Describe it. I like rich language full of metaphors and figures of speech. The thing that bothered me the most, though, was the fact that this book was full of romance novel clichés. I also thought that Callister and McGill were almost overdrawn in their role as villain. I see a lot of potential in this author and hope that her next book is published by a publisher that has excellent editors.

[Deja · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! At first I wasn't sure if it would keep my interest since it was so different then the book I had just finished but it was really entertaining. The characters were well defined, the scene was detail, and the plot kept me interested with the underlying secret slowing being revealed, love story, and conflicts along the way. I know I said it before but I honestly could see this book as a movie. I don't know why I use turning a book into a movie as a way to rate how good it is but I do. Maybe it's because I think it's a story that even those who don't like to read would enjoy following. I definitely recommend this book and I look forward to seeing what other books the author wrote.

[Ivy Dickinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very readable, but I felt it lacked some of the intense hardship that was common of the time. I also thought the point of view that the author was writing from was a little difficult to pin down, I felt almost removed from the characters. A great book for me is one that encourages complete immersion, where I could almost talk about the characters as if they were close friends that I hang out with.

Since I went to school for forestry/natural resources I felt I had an adequate understanding of the CCC....however, I think someone without this background may not have understood all the lingo. Lacked background.

[Lillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Park Hardesty is running from a broken family and a troubled past in this novel. He finds redemption and love while working in a CCC camp located in the Mt. Baker area of Washington State. I read this novel while working on a digital collection documenting the Civilian Conservation Corps in Garfield County, WA (http://washingtonruralheritage.org/cd...) and really appreciated the way the novel deepened my understanding of the photos I was handling.

[Laurie Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an interesting look at a time (1935) when we were just pulling out of the depression. This story held my attention. I’m all about the relationships and it finishes strong. I loved how steeped in history this is. I felt immersed in the time and understand it better now. It actually made me strike up conversations with my parents about that time and I appreciate that. I also very much recommend this story.

[Burke Hodgson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think very highly of this book and am delighted to have it permanently in my library. It is set in one of the CCC forestry camps of the early 1930s and it was interesting to read about one of the major components of Roosevelt's New Deal program designed to deal with the ravages of the depression on the American economy. It is also a VERY good read!

[Linda Shook · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book. I found it interesting to read about the work of the Conservation Corps in Washington state during the 1930's. And the intrigue and romance only made the book even better. And to think I just live a few miles from 'Camp Lewis.'

[Linnet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Romance and jealousy in a CCC Camp in NW Washington, in the early 30's.

[Cari Noga · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good old-fashioned love story about an era I knew nothing about. Could have been tightened up quite a bit in terms of both plot and cast of characters, but overall an enjoyable read.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book but...
I am living in the PacificNorthwest and I can imagine the location of the camp. Quite lovely area. The story was also great although a bit slow in the beginning.